Keys To The Solution
by Vile.EXE
Summary: The mysterious "Master Keys"... Collecting them is said to unlock the "solution". Through the research of Kazuma Tsukumo, Dr. Faker, and Byron Arclight, the path to these cards, which have scattered across Japan, is active. The hunt for the Master Keys is afoot!
1. Chapter 1

**Vile: Howdy, ZEXAL fans? Did you miss me?**

**Yuma: Where the heck were you, man?!**

**Vile: In case you forgot, I've got 16 chapters of GSTART to write that won't be posted until they're all complete, not to mention school and other fics. This crap ain't easy!**

**Astral: I'm just glad you haven't forgotten us.**

**Vile: How could I? ZEXAL's easily my favorite series! XD Anyhoo, I finally managed to complete the first chapter of this fic, which serves as an arc in the Numbershot fanon. The plot's moving now, folks! No disclaimer needed, because you know how this works! Note: This story takes place a couple hours after Numbershot S43. Enjoy!**

**Story Routine, Set!**

**Computer Voice: Execute!**

* * *

Keys To The Solution

Chapter 1

*Within the Emperor's Key*

Astral continued to stare at the odd mechanism that he didn't know was in the Emperor's Key. Six cylinders on a circular wall, colored red, orange, yellow, green, dark blue, and purple, with a large light blue center. The center glowed faintly, and the purple cylinder was lit up. **_ 'What could this mean…?'_** Astral wondered.

**"Astral?" ** Mia's voice asked. Astral turned to see the pink spirit float to him. **"I was searching for you."**

**"Gomen, Mia. I was merely… observing this odd mechanism."** Astral said, turning back to the mechanism. ** "Something about it just feels… familiar to me."**

Mia floated closer to the mechanism. Out of curiosity, she slowly reached out and touched the glowing core. A breath escaped her. **"…The Astral World."**

**"Eh?"**

**"There's energy coming off of this core. It feels identical to the atmosphere of the Astral World."** Mia told him. **"It's almost as if… the Astral World itself is beyond it."**

**"Like… a gateway?"** Astral asked. Mia nodded. ** "Hmm…"** He looked at the purple cylinder. **"Perhaps the answer is related to that cylinder…"** Suddenly, the cylinder's glow got brighter. Astral felt a jolt go through him. **"Nani?"**

**"Astral? What happened?"** Mia asked.

**"I sense something… outside the Key."** Astral said. ** "Let's go."** Mia nodded, following Astral out.

*Outside the Key*

**"You're right, Kaito. This card is weird."** Yuma said. He, Kotori, Kaito, Haruto, Jenaveve, and Orbital 7 were in Yuma's house, trying to understand the meaning behind the mysterious card that Kaito acquired only a couple of hours ago: Haken Kocho (Supreme Key Insect) – Master Key Beetle.

**"The energy within that card is highly similar to the energy inside the Emperor's Key."** Orbital 7 said.** "Haruto-sama thought you would know something about it."**

At that moment, Astral and Mia emerged from the Key. Astral looked down and saw the Key. ** "There… It was that card I sensed."**

Yuma and Kotori noticed him. "What do you mean, Astral?"

**"Something is… familiar about that card. I feel it." ** Mia said.

**"Yuma… May I see that card?"** Astral asked.

"I… guess so." Yuma said, handing Astral the card. The minute the card touched Astral's fingers, it gave off a flash of light, rendering Astral and Mia visible to the others.

"Whoa…" Jenaveve breathed. "So they are… Astral and Mia!"

**"The card made us visible… My feeling was true."** Mia said. ** "That card is related to the Astral World."**

"It is?" Yuma and Kotori asked.

"That would explain the similar energy." Kaito mused.

Mia took the card from Astral. **"I have an idea. I'll be right back."** With the card in hand, Mia returned to the Key, the card breaking down with her.

**"What are you planning, Mia?"** Astral wondered.

*Within the Key*

Mia floated back to the odd mechanism. As she got closer, the purple cylinder seemed to glow even brighter. When she held out the card, it glowed purple as well. Then, it flew out of her grasp and stopped right above the cylinder. A thin slot opened up on the cylinder, and the card flew inside, causing the cylinder to flash brightly. ** "Ohhh…"** Mia breathed. Then, the purple cylinder fired lightning to the blue cylinder, striking it and making it glow as well. The light blue core began to glow, before it fired a laser beam outward from the Key. Mia quickly chose to follow it.

*Elsewhere* *Outside the Key*

An alert began blaring on the Number Distributor's monitor. "Nani?" He quickly turned, seeing images appear. "Oh dear…"

Vector was heard growling. ** "It's already happening…!"**

*Yuma's House *

The Key's gem as glowing, the Key itself shaking. "W-What's going on?" Yuma wondered. Then, the beam shot out from the Key, projecting a screen on the wall.

"Hey, free movie!" Haruto chirped.

"Hold on, Haruto." Kaito told him. "This could be important." An image of Master Key Beetle appeared on the screen before turning completely purple. The screen zoomed out, revealing that the purple card was in a hexagonal formation with five other solid-colored cards of red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. The cards then had their glows fade to reveal their artwork and names. Kanji appeared on the screen. "…Six Key cards for the Master Lock. One for each Attribute." Kaito read. Mia emerged from the Key at this point.

The screen then changed to show the same odd mechanism in the Key behind the cards. "That mechanism…" Astral mused.

Slots opened up within each of the six cylinders, and Master Key Beetle was inserted into the purple one, firing lightning to the blue one, projecting a smaller screen that looked like a map, with a blue dot marked on it. The process repeated itself with the next four cards: Inserting themselves into the blue, green, yellow, and orange cylinders (in that order), striking the next one in line, and forming a mini-map. More kanji appeared. **"When a Master Key is found… it will point the way to the next one."** Mia said.

Finally, the FIRE Master Key was inserted into the red cylinder, forming new Kanji. "And when all six are gathered…" Kotori said.

At this, the light blue core changed to resemble some sort of gateway, more Kanji appearing. "…The path to the Master Lock will open, allowing the solution to be unlocked." Yuma read.

**"Master Lock…? What could it mean?"** Astral wondered.

"I think there's only one way to find out." Yuma said. "We need to find the other Master Keys!"

"But where would they be?" Haruto wondered.

"'When a Master Key is found, it will point the way to the next one.' Since we found Master Key Beetle… it should tell us where the next one is." Jenaveve said, repeating what Mia had read.

"The next one is line is blue. That mini-map should tell us where to find the next one." Orbital 7 stated. The mini-map conjured by the blue cylinder grew larger, showing a more detailed map with a blue dot marked on it.

"According to the map… The next Master Key is on the eastern coast of Hokkaido." Kotori said. "That makes it the closest to us."

"That still makes it really far away, Kotori. We're in the west of Hokkaido, in case you forgot." Yuma said, pointing to the rough location of Heartland in Japan's northern island region. "And I don't think we have the money for a round-trip plane ticket."

"And we don't have access to any of Heartland Tower's equipment. Tou-san's technology could have provided a quick way to get us there." Kaito said.

Orbital piped up. "Kaito-sama." Kaito looked at him. "I hope it isn't too much… but might I recommend something?"

"I'm listening…" Kaito said.

"I believe there may be someone who can help." Orbital said. Typing noises were heard from his system, and then a *PING!* was heard. "Message sent."

"Who were you calling, Orbital?" Kaito asked.

"…A few former enemies of ours." Orbital replied, confusing Kaito. Another chime was heard, indicating a return message, which Orbital read. "…They've agreed. We must leave. Please, everyone… Follow me." They were unaware of a trio of eavesdroppers nearby.

*A Little Later*

"I see… Your situation is definitely odd." Chris Arclight said, having had the situation explained to him. "We'd be glad to help you any way we can."

"That means a lot, Chris." Kaito said with a smile. "Do you know of a way?"

"There is one way…" Byron said, walking up from behind Chris. "It requires a combination of our powers… Mine and Haruto's."

"Eh? Me?" Haruto wondered.

Byron nodded. "Your powers are capable of breaking through the boundaries of space. However, they are rather… renegade, shall I say." Haruto sweatdropped. "However, through the power of my Crest and the research and technology left over from mine, Faker's, and Kazuma's work… we may be able to stabilize the portals and direct them to where we wish."

"Using the research of dimensional travel to better the world…" Yuma breathed. "That was always Tou-chan's dream!"

"It was the dream of all our fathers." Kaito said.

"And together, here and now, we will realize it." Chris said. "This research will redeem Byron Arclight, avenge Dr. Faker… and, hopefully, rescue Kazuma Tsukumo!" Yuma and Kaito nodded.

*Elsewhere in the castle*

"Haruto, are you ready?" Byron asked, standing in front of Haruto with two machines with arc-shaped attachments behind him, operated by Marcus and Chris. Kaito was operating a control panel, Yuma, Kotori, Jenaveve, Orbital 7, and Keegan were nearby.

"Ready!" Haruto said with a confident look.

"Marcus, Chris! When Kaito gives the signal, activate the machines!" Byron said.

"Right!" Marcus and Chris said.

"Haruto, engage!" Byron said, forming his Crest on his hand and making a giant copy of it form underneath them.

Haruto began channeling his latent power as much as he could, causing the area to slightly warp. "Ngh… Nah…" He groaned.

"Haruto…" Kaito breathed.

"I'm… all right… Nii-san!" Haruto told him through his struggling. Energy began to crackle around his hands as he brought them together, slowly forming an energy ball.

Byron felt his Crest begin to wane in the face of this power. "Ngh… So… strong…!" He groaned, trying to keep his focus and his power up. As the energy ball got larger, Byron kept struggling. "Agh! At this rate… I won't be able to hold it…!" However, the images of his sons' Crests appeared overtop of Byron's, pouring power into him. "Eh?"

"Don't give up, Tou-chan!" Chris said.

"We'll use all the power we can to help!" Marcus added.

"We're in this together!" Keegan said. Byron smiled, using the power his sons gave him to keep Haruto's power coming.

At that moment, a pulse was given off from the energy ball, which Haruto threw up a short distance. Kaito saw this and ramped up the power on the control panel. "NOW!"

Marcus and Chris pointed their machines at the energy ball and activated them, firing lightning from them that struck the energy ball. "Easy does it, Marcus… We can't go too quickly!" Chris said, getting a nod from his younger brother. Slowly, the energy ball was moved towards in-between the two machines, Marcus and Chris slowly turning the machines to keep the flow working. When the energy ball was directly between them both, the two brothers slowly pushed the machines closer together, linking their arcs to form a circular gate that the energy ball somewhat exploded within, creating a swirling portal within the circle.

The Crests' images faded, making Byron begin to pant. Haruto, woozy, fell to his hands and knees. "Haruto!" Jenaveve gasped, rushing to him and kneeling down.

Haruto, however, had a weary smile on his face. "Eh heh heh… I did it… Huh, Nee-chan…?" He panted. Jenaveve smiled at him, as did Kaito.

Byron gazed at the portal, being joined by his sons. He wiped the sweat from his brow. "We've done it… we've successfully created a portal. All our research… has come to fruition."

"You think this can help, Arclight-san?" Kotori asked.

"Definitely. All we must do is program the coordinates." Byron said, walking to the control panel. "Based on the mini-map image recorded by Orbital 7…" A map of Hokkaido appeared on a monitor, with the same blue dot as the mini-map appearing. "The coordinates can easily be set." Byron inputted coordinates into the system, and a lock-on cursor zoomed in on the blue dot, turning green. "There. Coordinates set. The portal should take you to where the first Master Key is."

Yuma looked at Kotori. "Ready, Kotori?"

"Mm-hmm." Kotori said with a nod.

"Me and the others will remain here to keep an eye on the system, Yuma." Kaito told him. Yuma nodded.

"Keegan." Byron said, getting his youngest son's attention. "Go with Yuma and Kotori."

"Eh? Why me?" Keegan asked.

"I didn't trust you enough for anything… back then." The father said with a sad look. "But it's time I started. Marcus and Chris can remain here to help me, while you aid Yuma and Kotori." Byron placed a hand on his son's shoulder with a smile. "I have faith in you, Keegan."

Keegan gave a smile, hugging his father. "Arigatou, Tou-chan." Pulling out of the hug, Keegan nodded at Yuma and Kotori, who nodded back.

"What, no goodbyes?" A voice said. Yuma and Kotori, shocked, turned around to see all their friends and family: Shark, Tetsuo, Takashi, Cathy, Tokunosuke, Hikaya, Ariel, Rio, Sei, Sachi, Yamoto, Akari, Tetsuko, Haru, Gauche, Droite, Anna, Yuya, Spade, Raio, Rokujuro, and Yamikawa.

"H-How did you-?" Yuma was cut off.

"Akari." Shark said, pointing to Yuma's sister.

"Don't tell me: You heard everything." Yuma said.

Akari nodded, walking over to him. "You thought I was just gonna let you leave without telling everyone?"

"She has a point, Yuma. That was a pretty jerk move." Tetsuo said.

"What were you thinking, not telling any of us?" Anna asked.

Yuma had no answer. "I… *sighs* I guess I wasn't thinking."

"At least he's honest." Spade whispered to Raio.

"Gomen for not telling any of you." Yuma said. "But this is something we have to do, so-"

"Save it, Yuma. We're already okay with it, Ura." Tokunosuke said with a hand up.

"We'll gladly hold down the fort here until you get back." Yamoto assured. "If the Distributor and Vector try to attack, we'll take them on."

Yuma and Kotori smiled. "Arigatou, everyone."

"You're already turning out just like your father, Yuma. Willing to ignore repercussions just so you can help people." Haru chuckled.

"Just don't allow your heroism to lead to suicide." Yamikawa told him. "We want our hero to come back alive."

"Don't worry, guys. I'm not alone in this. Not by a long shot." Yuma said, Kotori and Keegan beside him. Astral and Mia appeared from the Key, winking at him. He looked at his partners. "Ready?" Both Kotori and Keegan nodded.

"Good luck, Yuma!" All their friends and family said at once.

Yuma, Kotori, Keegan, Astral, and Mia turned to the portal. A wide grin appeared on Yuma's face as he rushed toward the portal, the others not far behind. "CHOU KATTOBINGU DA, ORE!" He leapt into the portal, the others filing in one-by-one.

_'Kazuma… Faker… Can you see it?' _ Byron thought. _ 'Our dream has been fulfilled…'_

*Meanwhile*

"Yes…?" A voice said into a D-Gazer.

_"Major change in plans." _ The Distributor said through the other end. _ "I'm changing gears to complete a new mission. I want you to deal with Tsukumo's friends and family. Understood?"_

"Completely. Don't worry about us." The voice said, hanging up. The voice's owner turned to a group of shadowed figures. "Well, everyone… Looks like we finally get to have some fun." He held up a glowing blank card as he gave a dark chuckle.

* * *

**Vile: The families of Tsukumo, Tenjo, and Arclight have come together to form the path to the solution. It's all on Yuma, Kotori, and Keegan's shoulders now!**

**Yuma: Wait... If we're apparently being transported to the other side of Hokkaido... then what happens to any new Numbers?**

**Vile: You, Kotori, Astral, and Mia won't be in them. Until you guys get back (AKA when this story is done), you four will be absent from the Numbershots and Decks-hibitions, giving the other characters time in the spotlight.**

**Yuma: Hmm... Can't argue with that logic!**

**Vile: Of course you can't. ;) Anyhoo, if you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Hopefully it won't take too long for the next ZEXAL story, which is either the second chapter of Keys to the Solution or my newest Numbershot! Stay tuned! Ja ne for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Vile: Hey, ZEXAL fans! Good news: I'm done with finals!**

**Yuma: You've been done with 'em for almost a week. What took so long to get this done afterwards?**

**Vile: Eh heh heh... I guess I got a little too comfy with my new freedom. XD**

**Astral: You humans can be quite lazy. *glances at Yuma***

**Yuma: Can it, Astral...**

**Vile: XD You guys make me laugh even outside fics. Anyway, let's get back to Keys to the Solution! Enjoy!**

* * *

Keys To The Solution

Chapter 2

In a part of a small forest that wasn't visible to prying eyes, the other end of the portal opened up. Yuma leapt out with a three-point landing, Kotori jumping out right behind him. Keegan, however, wasn't so lucky, ending up landing on his face. "Ow…" He groaned. Yuma helped up to his feet as Astral and Mia exited the portal themselves.

Kotori looked around, noticing they were near a coastline. Pulling up a screen of the map to the second Master Key (downloaded from Orbital 7's system and uploaded to her D-Pad), she zoomed in on their location, which was near the second Master Key. At that moment, her D-Gazer went off, which she answered. "Yes?"

_"Status report. Did you all make it?"_ Byron asked.

Kotori nodded. "We're all here and intact." She said.

_"Good. Now we know for sure that the portal works."_ Byron said with a nod.

"According to the map… the next Master Key is slightly northwest from here." Kotori said, turning around. "…In that forest."

_"Indeed. It's located near a pond within there. I would have packed you supplies if I had known you'd have to do a bit of hiking."_ Byron told them. _"But you are strong enough for this. Good luck, you three."_ Yuma, Kotori, and Keegan nodded, and the transmission cut out.

"Well, we're not gonna get anything done while standing around here." Yuma said. "Astral, Mia, can either of you sense the Master Key so we know exactly where to go?"

The two spirits concentrated for a moment, trying to locate its power. Eventually, Mia spoke up. **"I found it. Follow me!"** She floated off into the trees, quickly followed by Yuma and Astral.

"Mate, Yuma!" Keegan cried, rushing after them with Kotori hot on his heels.

Mia maneuvered them through the trees and dirt, taking care to make sure they didn't get left behind. While Yuma and Kotori were having no problems, Keegan started looking worn out. "You're not used to this, are you, Keegan?" Kotori asked.

"*gulp* No… but I'm trying my best." The pink-haired boy admitted.

Yuma gave a half-frown and headed over to him, helping him up by slinging one of Keegan's arms around his neck. "This oughta help."

"Arigatou, Yuma." Keegan said as the group continued on. Kotori smiled at Yuma's show of aid.

As they made their way through the forest, the group noticed that their path was starting to become shrouded in a somewhat thick fog. "I don't like the look of this. I never liked fog." Yuma said.

**"I'll keep an extra eye out."** Astral told them, concentrating through the mist.

Eventually, after about an hour of walking, the group made it out of the trees and into a clearing, finding exactly what Byron told them about: A small pond with fog lying above it. **"It's around this area."** Mia said.

"This lake looks so peaceful. So… mysterious." Keegan said.

"It's like a smaller version of Lake Mashū." Yuma breathed. "I've been there, and it has the same feel."

"Mia, can you tell just where the Master Key card is?" Kotori asked.

**"It's… to the right of us."** Mia told her. **"Ngh, this fog is too deep. I can't tell exactly."**

"Hello? Is someone out here?" A young voice called out.

"Uh… Who's there?" Yuma called out. The group noticed a figure slowly emerging from the fog, holding some sort of object with a light coming from it.

Eventually, the figure revealed itself to be a 15-year-old black-haired, orange-eyed boy dressed in what looked like shrine-worker clothing, holding a lantern. "Oh… travelers. What brings you out here?" The group looked at each other briefly.

*A Little Later*

The odd boy led them to a small house that had a motif like a shrine-worker's cabin on the coast of the lake. He poured them each a cup of tea. "I don't get many travelers around. My name is Reigo."

"I'm Yuma. These two are Kotori and Keegan." Yuma introduced, taking a cup. "Arigatou."

"What brings you travelers out this way?" Reigo wondered, taking his own cup.

"Well, we're looking for a certain card that we think is out here." Keegan said.

Reigo was confused. "A card?"

Yuma fished through his Extra Deck and pulled out Master Key Beetle, showing it to Reigo. "It's similar to this one."

Reigo examined the card, with a flash of recognition in his eyes. "Oh… I think I know what you mean." He got up and walked to a dresser nearby, looking through the drawers. "I know I had it in here somewhere…" As he opened another door, he came across his target. "Ah, here we are." Picking the object up, he showed it to them. "Is this it?" It was a card: **Haken Ikkaku - Master Key Narwhal**. **_(A/N: I didn't bother translating the first part since the Master Keys are basically the s name in both English and Japanese.)_**

"That's it!" All three of the group cried, startling Reigo.

"I found it on the lake's dock weeks ago." Reigo explained. "I don't Duel, but I decided to keep it anyway. Something about it seemed… odd to me."

"Can we have it?" Yuma asked.

"Eh?"

"Listen, Reigo, I don't think you'd believe us, but that card is important." Kotori told him. "We need that card."

"Try me. I'm pretty open-minded." Reigo said. Looking at each other, Yuma, Kotori, and Keegan decided to relay the whole story to Reigo: The Numbers, Astral and Mia, what the Master Keys were for, and everything they went through. Reigo was floored. "Wow… So you three are actually some sort of heroes."

"You could say that." Yuma said. "But now you see why we need that card."

"I do… but might you hear me out this time?" Reigo asked, getting nods from everyone. "I'm the son of the protectors of the nearby shrine. I'm supposed to retrieve the prayer slips that have been placed around the lake and forest, but…" The boy gulped. "…I'm scared to death of ghosts!"

"…A shrine worker's son, afraid of ghosts?" Kotori wondered.

"S-Stupid, right?" Reigo stuttered. "But it's true! I'm almost certain this lake and this forest are haunted… so I'm scared to death of having to go out and find the prayer slips." He looked at them. "I hate to ask, but please, can you find them in my place?" He held out the Master Key card. "I'll even give you the card you want in advance. Would you help me?"

Yuma smiled. "Sure thing, Reigo!" He said, first taking the card, then shaking Reigo's hand.

"Arigatou, Yuma-kun." Reigo said. He went back to the dresser and pulled a folded piece of paper from the dresser. "This is a map that my parents drew, detailing where the prayer slips are. There are ten of them out there." He handed Kotori the map. "When you find them, you have to take them to the shrine, which is also on the map. Place them on the silver spaces on the totem pole."

"Sounds easy enough." Yuma mused.

"Yeah… but there's a bit of a problem." Reigo said. "The shrine has a wall that the slips have to be stuck to… and according to my parents, they have to be placed at 3:00 PM sharp.

Keegan pulled up the time on his D-Gazer. "5:50. We won't be able to place them today."

"I'll be glad to let you stay here for tonight." Reigo offered. "I've got plenty of room here."

"Are you sure? We don't want to be a burden." Kotori told him.

"It's no trouble. You're doing this for me, so it's the least I can do." Reigo told her.

"Arigatou, Reigo. Thank you for letting us have this card, too." Yuma said, holding up Master Key Narwhal.

"It's my pleasure." Reigo said. "I feel I should also treat you three to dinner before you search. Is that fine with you?" Yuma, Kotori, and Keegan only grinned in response.

*6:25*

With dinner completed, Yuma, Kotori, and Keegan left the cabin to search for the prayer slips. "Where should we go first?" Yuma wondered.

Kotori unfolded the map, checking the locations. "According to this… there's one right behind the cabin."

"Oh yeah, I should've told you about that one." Reigo said from the doorway. "I guess I had a bit of a memory lapse." While he was talking, Keegan had gone around the back of the cabin and retrieved the slip. "I'll hang onto it for now." Keegan gave the slip to Reigo while Kotori crossed it off the map. "If I remember correctly, there should be one attached to the dock as well."

"Yeah, it's right here on the map." Kotori said.

"I'm sorry to trouble you with this, but I j-just can't do this myself." Reigo apologized.

"Hey, it's no problem, Reigo." Yuma assured him. "You did something for us, so we're doing something for you." Reigo smiled and nodded. "Okay, everyone, let's go." Kotori and Keegan nodded.

"Mate (Wait), Yuma." Reigo said, getting his attention. "Please, keep watch of the time. I lock up the cabin at 10:00 PM... I don't want to end up stranding you out there." The group gulped.

*6:56*

"Are we on the right track, Kotori?" Yuma asked. The group had already snagged the prayer slip from the dock and had moved into the forest.

"There should be one on this path… attached to a red tree, the map says." Kotori told him.

"Like that one?" Keegan asked, pointing at a tree that, sure enough, had red foliage instead of green like the rest of the forest. Yuma walked over to it, walking around to the other side.

"Yep! Found it!" He called, grabbing a prayer slip from the other end. Kotori crossed it off the map.

"Okay, there should be one nearby, too." She mused, but at that moment, an odd breeze began to blow, sending a slight chill down the kids' spines.

Keegan shivered. "We probably should've brought something warm to wear." He said.

"But it's summer! It should be warm out here!" Yuma said.

Keegan started wandering a bit through the fog, but he quickly stopped when he saw a large sword… pointed right at his face. "WAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Keegan!" Yuma and Kotori cried, rushing over. The pink-haired boy quickly dashed right behind them.

"W-What is that?!" Keegan cried, still freaked at the apparent blade staring at him.

Kotori scrunched her face, then folded the map and started waving at, blowing away the fog nearby. When the mist retreated, the sword was revealed to be attached to and made of a specific rock. "It's… only a rock." Keegan took another look and let out a breath of relief. "Wait…" Kotori unfolded the map again. "Hey, this is one of the landmarks on the map!" She walked forward and found a prayer slip attached to it. "Yatta!"

"Nice find, Keegan." Yuma somewhat teased. Keegan gave a nervous laugh in response.

*7:31*

"Careful, Yuma!" Keegan called as Yuma climbed up a tree. Near the top of the tree were two odd branches, bent in a way that made them look like they were holding hands. Dangling from them was one of the prayer slips.

"Don't worry, Keegan! I've done this all the time!" Yuma chirped back as he scaled the tree like a skilled monkey. It didn't take him long at all to reach near the top. Gripping the branch he was on, Yuma slowly crawled forward and carefully reached toward the dangling branches, swiping at the slip. However, he felt the branch he was on start to weaken. _ 'Uh-oh.'_ He realized the danger of the situation, but he had to get that prayer slip. His eyes widened with the spark of an idea, and he slowly backed toward the tree's base. Once he was on steady wood, he fished out a card and held it back in preparation to throw it. He squinted to take careful aim. _ 'Only one shot… There!'_ Yuma quickly chucked the card at the dangling strip, impacting the tiny pieces of wood that it stuck to. Due to their rail-thin size, Yuma's card sliced right through them, letting both the slip and the card (which lost speed from the impacts) float gently down to the ground.

Keegan felt dumb for doubting Yuma, catching his card while Kotori caught the prayer slip. "Nice shot, Yuma!" He chirped. Yuma jumped down the branches to the ground, flashing a toothy grin when he did.

*8:04*

"Okay, the next prayer slip is supposed to be…" As Kotori scanned the map, she lowered to a less-than-pleasant sight: A cave made out of inky purple rocks, the face having tooth-like stalactites. She gulped. "…in there."

Keegan also gulped. "Why did Reigo's parents have to place prayer slips in areas that scare the living daylights out of me?"

"Well, they are supposed to ward off spirits. I guess they thought this cave was more haunted than any other place in the forest." Yuma mused.

"Well… I shouldn't be scared. If th-there's a prayer slip in there, that should mean there's no ghosts f-for sure… right?" Keegan asked, his fear beginning to show.

Kotori gulped again. "Y-Yeah… let's go with that."

"You guys really are scared, huh?" Yuma asked, getting nods from both of them. "Then stay close. Ghosts or no ghosts, there might actually be something nasty in there." He started to walk into the cave.

"M-Mate, Yuma!" Kotori cried, her and Keegan quickly rushing forward to follow him.

Within the Key, Astral had a smirk on his face. **_'You're scared as well. Aren't you, Yuma?'_**

Yuma hesitated, but replied. _ 'Of course I am. Who wouldn't be when it comes to a dark cave, in a fog-covered forest, that's thought to be haunted? But someone here has to have a brave face on, otherwise we'll never get that prayer slip.'_ Astral nodded in understanding.

It didn't take long for the cave's interior to start getting pitch-black. Keegan reluctantly took the front and activated his Crest, making it act as a makeshift flashlight. In spite of the bright light, the place still unnerved the three of them (Yuma not showing it).

An echo sounded through the rock walls, startling them. "It's okay, guys. I recognize that noise. It's a bat's cry." Yuma told them. "Let's keep going." He had to push Keegan and have Kotori cling to his arm to keep everyone going. Yuma turned out to be right; there was a small group of bats hanging on the cave's roof a short distance in, so Yuma made Keegan dim his Crest so as not to startle the bats, brightening it again when they were past them.

Another roadblock occurred not far ahead: A three-way fork. "Uh-oh." Keegan said.

At that moment, Yuma's D-Gazer went off, and he answered it to see that it was Reigo. _"Gomen if I startled you. I felt I should warn you about the cave."_

"Let me guess: The fork in the road?" Kotori asked.

_"You've already been there?" _ Reigo asked. Yuma turned the D-Gazer so Reigo could see the path. _"Oh… you haven't gone down any of the paths yet. Good."_ Yuma turned the Gazer around again. _ "This is what I meant to tell you. Go down the path to the right. The other two lead to some… unsavory outcomes."_

"Uh… what do you mean, 'unsavory'?" Yuma asked.

_"Please… just take my word for it." _ Reigo told him solemnly. _ "You'll regret it if you don't." _ He immediately hung up.

"I don't like the sound of that…" Yuma told them.

"L-Let's just listen to Reigo. He hasn't lied to us yet." Keegan said.

"Yeah. It could help us get out of here quicker." Kotori said. Yuma nodded, and the three of them headed down the right path. As they continued, another herd of bats was hanging on the roof, so Keegan dimmed his Crest so they could go by.

"Gwooooooohhhh…" An echo sounded through the cave.

The three of them stopped dead. "That… was no bat…" Kotori breathed.

Yuma gulped. "Come on, guys…" He breathed. "Maybe it's a wolf or something…" He made them keep going.

"Uwaaaaaaaaahhh…" This echo was in a completely different voice.

"Yuma…" Keegan whimpered.

"There it is!" Yuma cried, startling him. He pointed, making Keegan shine his Crest on a prayer slip stuck to a large stalagmite. Yuma quickly rushed over and snagged it. "Good thing we listened to Reigo. Who knows what was down the other paths?"

"Let's just get out of here." Kotori said. The boys nodded, and they headed back down the path they came.

"Awooooooooo…" Another voice echoed.

"Now THAT was a wolf. I'm certain of it." Yuma said.

"Yuma… Don't you think you're tempting fate?" Kotori asked.

"What do you mean?" Yuma asked.

_**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEK!**_

That loud screech echoed throughout the cave… followed by a group of quieter, yet more frantic screeches. "That's what I mean…" Kotori whimpered. From within the cave's darkness, the bats they saw earlier started swarming toward the light of Keegan's Crest.

"RUN!" They all screamed, rushing down the path, ducking underneath the swarming bats.

"So much for the brave face!" Yuma cried, looking just as scared as the rest of them.

As they passed through the area with the fork, the screeches got louder and more frequent. Then, two massive swarms of bats shot out from the other paths, hot on the kids' tails. They made a mental note to thank Reigo for that advice later. Ducking again to avoid the other swarm of bats, the three kids managed to make it all the way to the cave's entrance and tore clean out, tripping any landing on the ground to finish their exit. Only a few bats followed them out before mysterious retreating back into the dark area.

The kids were panting from their frantic escape. "What… the… HELL?!" Yuma cried.

"Those first two voices were NOT wolves, Yuma!" Keegan finally griped. "I'm with Reigo, this forest is haunted!"

Yuma tried hard to calm himself down. "Don't be silly, Keegan! It was probably some kids trying to scare the bats!"

"And what about that screech?!" Kotori cried.

"They could've done that too!" Yuma shot back. "Listen, let's just calm down for a moment!" It took a few minutes, but the three kids finally managed to catch their breaths. "…We need to keep going. We've only got a couple of hours left."

"…Y-Yeah. I'd like to get away from that cave." Kotori said. Keegan only nodded as the three of them picked themselves up to move on.

*8:43*

As they continued moving along, the sky had grown dark. Out of nowhere, Yuma's D-Gazer rang. "Hello?"

_"Yuma-kun, don't stay out much longer."_ Reigo, who was on the other line, warned. _ "You have one hour and fifteen minutes left before I lock up my cabin. Please, don't lose track of time!"_

"Don't worry, Reigo. We'll get back for sure!" Yuma said with a smile that Kotori, Keegan, and then Reigo all mirrored.

*9:19*

"What's the next clue, Kotori?" Keegan asked, still using his Crest to light their way through the dark forest. "I think this might be the last one we can find tonight."

"It should be somewhere around here…" Kotori breathed. However, it didn't take her long to notice that their party seemed a little… small. Looking up, a blinking silhouette indicated that Yuma was gone. "Yuma?" No response. Kotori started to worry. "Yuma…?"

"Where'd he go…?" Keegan wondered. Out of nowhere, they heard a noise: Something eating. "Uh… what is that?" He moved his Crest around, trying to light up whatever the source was.

At that moment, it flashed over a shadow. "Over there!" Kotori cried, pointing. Keegan moved the Crest's light toward the shadow… finding Yuma munching on something, a few green spots on his cheek. Kotori and Keegan shot him an ugly look. "Yuma!"

Yuma looked over at them. "What?" He asked with his mouth full.

"You nearly scared us! What were you doing?" Kotori asked.

Yuma gulped down what was in his mouth. "I was hungry. Check out this bush!" The others looked at saw a bunch of green berries attached to it. "These berries are delicious!" He picked another one and ate it.

Keegan picked a berry nervously and ate it. "Hey, he's right! These are good!" He started eating some of the berries as well.

Kotori ate a couple berries herself, but looked back at the map. "Wait… Hey! This berry bush is labeled on the map!"

"It is?" Yuma and Keegan asked, mouths full.

"These berries are apparently very rare. The map says there's a prayer slip somewhere around here…" Kotori looked around, Keegan flashing his Crest again to help her look. She finally found it on a different berry bush. "Aha!" She took it off the bush. "Come on, let's get back to Reigo's house before it's too late!"

"Right!" The two boys said. Keegan followed Kotori without stopping, but Yuma paused as he left, looked back, and picked a handful of the berries for the road.

"Yuma!" Kotori called back.

"Coming!" He called back, rushing after them.

*9:58*

"Hurry up! We're almost out of time!" Keegan cried as the three rushed out of the forest, coming into view of the lake and the cabin.

Reigo walked outside to lock up and saw them. "Come on, get inside!" He called. The three teens quickly rushed through the doorway, and Reigo pulled the doors closed, locking them from within with a sliding wooden bar.

Yuma plopped down on the floor while Kotori and Keegan sat down in chairs. "That was close!" Yuma let out with a breath.

Reigo scanned their faces, looking at Kotori and Keegan. "You two look spooked." He said.

"I think you were right, Reigo. I think this forest IS haunted." Keegan told him.

The cabin's owner gulped. "Y-You didn't go down the other paths in the cave, did you?"

"No… but as we left, this horrible screech-" Kotori started.

"That screech… it's said to be a demon that lurks within that cave. That screech is used to command the bats within." Reigo said.

Yuma gulped. "Right when we heard that screech… the bats in the cave went crazy! We were lucky to get out of there with the prayer slip!" He held up the slip from the cave as proof.

Reigo sighed. "You are lucky to have not proven its existence. If you had… you wouldn't have lived to tell the tale." The group paled. "At least you managed to get out okay. Relax now. This cabin is charmed so any evil can't get in. I'll make you some tea." Reigo started boiling some water for tea.

*A Little Later*

Outside the cabin, footsteps stalked toward Reigo's cabin. Heavy breathing came from the owner of those feet. Within the cabin, Reigo stopped mid-drink of tea, eyes widened as if he just saw a ghost. Yuma, Kotori, and Keegan noticed. "Reigo? What's wrong?"

"…Evil… There is evil afoot…" He breathed, glancing at the cabin's door. The sound of something banging against the door was then heard. Reigo steeled himself and approached the door. "Halt your actions! State your business!"

The banging ceased. "My business is with your guests! Open this door!" A voice from the outside.

**_'The Number Distributor!'_** Yuma, Kotori, Keegan, Astral, and Mia all cried in their heads.

"Your voice drips with evil… Begone!" Reigo ordered.

"You dare to order me?" The Distributor said outside. "Open this door before I break it!"

"You will not accomplish that! No evil shall enter my cabin!" Reigo declared.

The Distributor growled. "You asked for it…" Flaring his hand with darkness, he reared back and punched the door… only to have pink energy be conducted back into him. "GYAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" The energy caused him a lot of pain, and with a flash, he was knocked backwards, rendered very weak. "N… Nani…?"

"All your evil will cause you pain…" Reigo told him. "If you dare try to intrude on me again, the charm on my cabin will vaporize you!"

_**'Distributor… That power… Too strong…' **_ Vector transmitted to him. **_ 'Retreat now… We must recover…'_**

_'Rgh… fine…'_ The Distributor transmitted back, barely managing to get to his feet, panting heavily. "Mark my words… child… you will… pay for this…!" He used his darkness to vanish in thin air.

Reigo stared at the door for a moment, then turned away from it. "Scum…"

"I can't believe he tracked us here!" Yuma cried.

"You know that man?" Reigo asked.

"He's the guy we told you about: The Number Distributor." Yuma said. "He must've somehow followed us here to stop us."

"Or he's after the Master Keys himself." Kotori said. "Remember what Orbital said about his reaction when Kaito stole Master Key Beetle?"

"Well, hopefully that man will learn his lesson. For all the evil within him, my charm drained his power." Reigo said. "He won't bother us again. Please, continue relaxing."

*Middle of the Night* *Within the Key*

As Yuma, Kotori, Keegan, and Reigo slept soundly on the mats that Reigo supplied for them, Astral approached the Master Keys' mechanism, Mia next to him. The blue cylinder of the mechanism began to glow, and Astral held out Master Key Narwhal, which also glowed blue. The card flew out of Astral's hand and stopped above the blue cylinder as a slot opened up on it, and the card flew inside, causing the cylinder to flash. Lightning fired from the blue cylinder to the green one, causing it and the light blue core to glow. A map screen was projected overtop the core, showing the two spirits the location of the third Master Key. Astral made a mental note to tell Keegan in the morning so he can relay the coordinates to Byron and redirect the portal system.

*Next Morning* *12:24*

"Thanks for lunch, Reigo!" Yuma thanked as the group headed out.

"My pleasure! Remember, you must place the slips on the shrine at 3:00!" Reigo called back, reminding them of what to do.

*12:47*

As the gang hunted for the remaining three prayer slips, Kotori heard a bunch of birds chirping. Looking at the map, she saw that one of the places marked was "Bird Sanctuary". "Follow me!" She chirped, rushing off.

"Mate, Kotori!" Yuma called, him and Keegan rushing to catch up with her. The girl vanished behind a bush, and when the boys caught up with her, they got a eyeful of a cool sight: A large stone carved in the shape of a bird's nest, with numerous birds flocking around it.

"Cool…" Keegan said. They noticed a bird resting on Kotori's head and two on her arm, making Yuma snicker.

Kotori then reached inside the large nest. "Yatta!" She pulled out the eighth prayer slip with a wink, making Yuma and Keegan smile.

*1:35*

As the gang followed the map, they stopped and saw… nothing. Kotori looked back at the map. "Wait… there should be something here." She mused.

"All I see is a tree stump." Yuma said.

Keegan moved down and examined the stump. There was a hole in the center, and when he tried knocking the stump with his fist, he noticed something: It was hollow. Looking closer, he saw that the top of the stump appeared. "Wait a minute…" He mused. Hooking his fingers into the hole, he pulled off the top of the stump, showing not only a prayer slip, but a sapling, growing within the hollowed-out tree stump. "Wow… Within the shell of an old life, a new life grows." Keegan smiled. "When this forest isn't scaring me half to death, it's amazing me." He retrieved the slip from within, replacing the stump's top. "Grow on, little seed. Use the life given to you by the previous life to become strong."

*2:19*

"And that's the last of them!" Yuma chirped, taking the final prayer slip from a round stone in the middle of a clearing. Kotori and Keegan smiled, but then Yuma noticed something: There were words on the stone. "Huh?" He kneeled down and read the words. A few of them were eroded, but he made out the words "Here Lies". "…It's a tombstone."

"Why would Reigo's parents put a prayer slip on someone's grave?" Keegan wondered.

"Maybe it's someone they knew." Yuma said. "I can't read the name on it, though. All I can see is the first syllable: 'Re'."

"Leave it be, Yuma. I don't think Reigo would like it if you broke it by accident." Kotori said.

"Right." Yuma said, standing up. "Now that we have every prayer slip, let's head to the shrine. We might still be able to make it in time." Kotori and Keegan nodded.

*2:59*

The trio came upon the shrine mentioned in the map: A quaint golden shrine with what appeared to be a small totem pole in front of it. As Reigo mentioned, there were ten silver spots on the totem pole. "This looks like the place." Kotori mused.

Yuma checked the time. "Any second now. Keegan, you got the slips?"

"Right here." Keegan pulled out the ten prayer slips.

"All right, let's do this." The trio walked over to the totem pole, Yuma taking four of the slips and Kotori taking three. When Yuma's D-Gazer switched to 3:00 PM, they placed all ten prayer slips on the totem pole, one-by-one. When the tenth slip was placed, the totem pole suddenly began to glow. "Nani?" The slips evaporated one-by-one as the glow intensified, and then the glow started receding and moving toward the top of the pole, converging into an orb of energy. Then, the orb exploded, causing a wave of gold energy to wash over them and the land, somehow activating Keegan's Crest AND making Astral and Mia visible. The golden glow covered the land for only a split-second as the wave moved across it, also causing the fog to recede, making the area clear as day.

Astral and Mia noticed that they were visible. _** "Amazing… That energy felt incredible."**_ Astral mused.

"What was all of that?" Keegan wondered, noticing his activated Crest.

Yuma turned on his D-Gazer and dialed Reigo, but no answer: The D-Gazer went straight to voicemail. "What's he doing?" He wondered.

"Do you think maybe he went to check on something in the forest?" Kotori asked.

"I don't know. Let's head back to the cabin and make sure." Yuma said, getting a nod from the others.

*Back at the Cabin*

Yuma pushed open the doors, and the group saw that the place was deserted. Reigo's D-Gazer was lying on a table next to a note, but he was nowhere to be found. Yuma walked over and picked up the note, reading it out loud. _"Yuma, Kotori, and Keegan, by the time you read this note, I won't be here. My parents have returned, and we are, sadly, leaving this cabin behind. I apologize for not getting to say goodbye to you in person, but I am eternally grateful to you for getting the prayer slips. The wave of energy you probably saw is meant to pacify the spirits of those who perished in this forest. The odd goings-on should stop now, and maybe people will visit this place again. I hope that the card I gave you will help you achieve whatever your goal is. Farewell, my friends. –Sincerely, Reigo."_

Yuma frowned at the note. "Damn it, Reigo…" Kotori placed a hand on his shoulders, but Yuma just sighed. "…I guess it can't be helped. At least we managed to help Reigo out." He pulled out Master Key Narwhal. "You're welcome, Reigo… and arigatou for helping us in return." Putting the card away, Yuma nodded at the others, and they walked out of the cabin.

Keegan contacted his father through his D-Gazer. "Tou-chan, we've got the Master Key. Is the portal ready for use?"

_"The coordinates have been downloaded without fail."_ Byron told them. _"I had to place this area as a reference point so you wouldn't be stranded, so you'll have to return here before being transported to the next location. The portal should appear momentarily."_

"Roger." Keegan said, cutting out the transmission. Within a few seconds, a portal was cracked open in front of them, and the three kids leapt through the portal, the two spirits within the Key, and the portal closed behind them.

*Later That Day*

At the tombstone that held the final prayer slip, two objects were placed in front of it: A rose, and Reigo's D-Gazer. Two adults were in front of it: A black-haired, blue-eyed man and a brown-haired, orange-eyed woman. The woman had a frown on her face, but the man placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a sad smile. The woman gave the same sad smile to both him and the tombstone, and they turned and walked away with hands clasped, leaving the rose and Gazer atop the tombstone's soil.

* * *

**Vile: Master Key Narwhal has been secured by the gang, safe from the Number Distributor! Mission 1 Complete!**

**Yuma: When did this become a video game mission mode?**

**Vile: I'm just screwing around, Yuma. XD**

**Kotori: Did that ending imply-**

**Vile: *claps hand over her mouth* Let the readers decide, Kotori. If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Chapters shouldn't come too hard from here on in. Ja ne for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


End file.
